“Democracy is a conversation that never ends”

These are the concluding words of the draft for a new Magna Charta of Democracy Cities, which we developed and drafted with participants in Rome during the sunny and exciting days of the 2018 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy.

This edition of the Global Forum was record-breaking in every sense! On the tenth anniversary of the very first Global Forum in Aarau, Switzerland, over 800 participants from more than 80 countries joined us in Rome to discuss the future of direct democracy and the role that cities can play in amplifying the voices of their citizens on the international stage.

The result was a collection of insights, experiences and lessons learned from around the globe, that we gathered in a Magna Charta of Democracy Cities. We already saw commitment to this Magna Charta from the cities of Rome, Seoul and Taichung. Now, the Magna Charta is being transformed into a plan of action that will lead to the establishment of an International League of Democracy Cities.

This is a plan of action that involves you! You can offer your suggestions, ideas, amendments, and signatures for the Magna Charta. Most especially, we ask you to seek official support of the document and of the new International League from the city, town or local jurisdictions in which you live and work. Find out how you can contribute in our piece on the Magna Charta below. The International League of Democratic Cities will officially be launched at the 2019 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy in Taichung, Taiwan from 2-5 October. You can already register to join us here.

See you in Taichung,

Joe Mathews and Bruno Kaufmann,

Co-presidents Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy

This was the 2018 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy

The 2018 Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy was record-breaking edition in every sense! Hear from our participants here.

Dealing with this complicated history, Peru‘s transition to democracy started 17 years ago. The constitution of the semi-presidential republic enshrines not only four direct-democratic instruments at the national level, but also two at the local level. At the Navigator to Direct Democracy symposium on “Political Culture and Active Citizenship” at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Arturo Maldonado, professor at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, spoke with Democracy International about the use of these instruments at the local level and the current status of democracy in Peru.

Cities commit to greater democracy in historic Magna Charta

World cities have committed to collaborating to protect and expand democracy, even in the face of threats from higher levels of government.

Italy seems at odds with itself and the world – politically, financially, economically, socially. But despite the constant changes in political leadership, the country is seeing strong currents towards more (direct) democracy – which could save it once again.